


sleepover

by cryptiddolokhov



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Ty Lee (Avatar), F/F, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Happy Azula (Avatar), Internalized Homophobia, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Lesbian Suki (Avatar), M/M, Minor Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Minor Suki/Katara, Past Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Past Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar), i apologize for saying the c word, i love azula, ozai sucks and is a terrible parent, plus ngl he's a cunt, she deserved a redemption, toph and zuko are best friends because i was robbed of their friendship :'(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26021350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryptiddolokhov/pseuds/cryptiddolokhov
Summary: zuko has always had a huge crush on his friend, sokka. at their first sleepover, he slips up and confesses.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko & Azula, Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko, zukka
Comments: 22
Kudos: 73





	1. preface

**Author's Note:**

> this chapter is a little short, but that's alright bc this is only the preface of the story!

Sokka touched Zuko’s shoulder gently, “Hey, Zuko. You feel okay?”  
Zuko jumped a little and looked at his friend, “Yeah…I’m okay.”  
“You seem out of it, are you sure?”  
Zuko nodded while Sokka rubbed his back. Sokka always knew how to comfort him, but occasionally he would say outlandish things to make him feel better.  
“Can I help you with it?”  
“No, I’m okay.”  
“Does it have to do with your scar?”  
Zuko sighed and stood up off the sofa.  
“Well, I think it’s awfully handsome.”  
Zuko glanced at Sokka .  
“I-I mean, I know what happened and everything but…I think it tells people something and I know you’re not great at opening up to people, especially about that..” Sokka stammered.  
“You’re such a dumbass.” Zuko retorted.  
“Sorry…”  
Looking out the window, he saw his younger sister, Azula, and her girlfriend, Ty Lee, having a picnic. Zuko smiled and sighed, Azula was despondent until she found Ty Lee again, they got together relatively quickly. Ty Lee helped Azula when she would have episodes and for that, Zuko was grateful for Ty Lee.

Azula must’ve spotted her older brother staring at them through the window because she waved. Zuko waved back and softly smiled before turning around to Sokka.  
Sokka patted the spot next to him, Zuko sat down.  
“Sorr-”  
Zuko cut him off, “Shh, it’s fine. Let’s just watch a movie or something.”

*****

The credits rolled and Zuko got a text from Toph, “Did you tell him yet?”  
“no” Zuko responded.  
“hurry up dipshit”  
“toph, what do i say?”  
“Just invite him into the hot tub and then make out with him ;)”  
“how’d you do that winky face?”  
“I am around someone who is able to see”  
“who?katara?”  
“no, katara’s off doing lesbian shit with suki i think”  
“Aang?”  
“yeah”  
Zuko sighed and curled up next to Sokka, “Hey…Sokka?”  
“Yeah?”  
“D-Do you wanna go into the hot tub?”  
“Yeah sure!”


	2. one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tysm for the kudos on the preface it was so sweet 🥺🥺🥺

Zuko sat down in the tub, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering around and making him slightly nauseous. He looked over at his friend, who seemed to be just relaxing in the warmth.  
He could stare at him for hours, Sokka was always the first person he called when he felt anxious or depressed, which seemed like years ago to Zuko because now, he was content with himself and everyone around him; he was in love.  
Azula always called him boring for breaking up with Mai, but Zuko wasn’t interested in her. Mai was amazing and still one of Zuko’s friends, but he could never have a romantic or sexual relationship with her or any girl, he couldn’t help it. His father still threw him out of the house. When Azula came out, she got kicked out too. Ozai hated her, even if she was his favorite. Iroh, Azula and Zuko’s uncle had taken them in after his son’s death.  
“Hey Zuko?”  
He snapped from his stare and looked at his blue-eyed friend.  
“Are you sure you’re okay? Did I offend you? I-I didn’t mean it like that.”  
“I’m fine, it was just startling to hear that about my scar. I always get looks and people asking what happened. It’s silly, but I used to think this scar marked me and cursed me to chase my father’s approval and love forever. But lately, I’ve realized I’m free to determine my life, even if I’ll never be free of my mark.”  
Sokka smiled and moved closer, “What changed your way of thinking though?”  
Zuko’s face burned a bright red as he looked away. He mumbled, “You.”  
“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you there, Zu. What’d you say?  
“You know... just someone important to me..”  
“Oh! Who’s the lucky girl?”  
Zuko glared straight into Sokka’s eyes.  
“Oh! You’re into guys?”  
“Yeah… that’s kinda the reason I got kicked out.”  
“Well, we can talk about hot guys at least, right?”  
“Yeah, I suppose so.”  
“So, who’s the lucky boy?”  
Zuko’s hands got sweaty, and he felt like he was overheating, he felt like crawling into a hole and dying.  
“Hey… come on Zu! My lips are sealed. I promise.”

 _Too bad the person you’ll be hiding that from is yourself._ Zuko thought while sinking down into the hot tub.  
“So what does he look like?”  
“He looks like you in a way.”  
“Really?”  
Zuko nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.  
“Is he taller than me?”  
“No, he’s about your height.”  
Sokka nodded, “Is he prettier than I am?”  
“Mmm... no. He’s about the same.”  
“Is he funnier than me?!”  
Zuko laughed, “You sound so jealous right now. But no…”  
Sokka sighed in relief.  
“He’s as funny as you are.”  
“WHAT??! How?!”  
Just be upfront with him!  
Zuko looked into Sokka’s icy eyes, moving closer to him.  
Sokka gasped and moved away slightly, “I think I know who it is!”  
“Who?”  
“Aang!”  
Zuko covered his mouth and gagged. He loved Aang, and they had a wonderful relationship, but not like that. Besides, they had a big age gap.  
“Did I get it right?!”  
“No! You were very wrong! I can’t believe you said Aang! Aang, out of anyone you could think of, you chose _Aang_!”  
“Oh, I’m sorry, Mister Prince Zuko. I didn’t realize you’d be so offended by a commoner!”  
“Hey! Don’t call me that!! I’m not offended! And Aang’s not a commoner!”  
“Well then, Prince Zuko, what is he?!”  
“My friend!”  
“So who do you even like?!”  
“YOU, STUPID!”  
Sokka sat there shocked.  
“Shit... I-I didn’t mean it like that…”  
“Then what did you mean, Zuko?”  
Zuko shrugged.  
Sokka looked at him, “I’m not mad and I reciprocate those feelings, but… my first girlfriend... you know, Yue. She died because I couldn't protect her. I just don’t want that to happen again.”  
“I’m so sorry, Sokka.” Zuko put his hand on Sokka’s cheek. “But you have to move on at some point, don’t you? I mean blaming yourself for the death of a loved one is hard and trust me, I’ve gone through it. But you need to heal. Sometimes a partner or even a friend can help.”  
Sokka mocked Zuko while his eyes glazed over, “Oh look, I’m mister wise guy, I know everything.”   
Zuko snorted, then sighed, “But seriously, please don’t beat yourself up. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the last episode during the agni kai between azula and zuko, i feel like they could've made azula's fire orange and zuko's blue. blue represents control and orange represents arrogance and anger in some cases. i also feel like katara should've gotten shot by the lightning bc then it would be zuko's fight. i'm so bad at explaining things sorry jajfdksjmfjkls.
> 
> anyway i hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
> 
> ps if i make a mistake please tell me! i'm dyslexic and sometimes i have a hard time spelling things


	3. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> smoochy smoochy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i took a little break for my mental health, it got really bad for a little bit. i'm better now and ready to get back into the groove of things!

Zuko woke up a few hours later with his head resting on Sokka’s shoulder and Sokka’s head resting on his.  
He sat up as he heard his uncle’s car pull up into the driveway. Sokka woke up after Zuko moved.  
“Hey! Zuko! I was sleeping!”  
“Sorry! My uncle’s home!”  
Sokka’s face lit up, “Can I finally meet him?!”  
“NO!” Zuko sighed, feeling conflicted. His uncle was his favorite person in the world, Iroh had helped him through everything. “Uh... maybe…”  
Sokka laughed, “Thank you so much, Zuko! You’re the best!”  
Zuko got out of the tub and wrapped his towel around himself, “Please just be careful, he doesn’t know that I’m gay yet.”  
“Didn’t your old man kick you out for being gay?”  
“Yeah, but I never told Uncle. He only knows that’s why Azula got kicked out.”  
“Is Ozai that awful that your uncle never asked?”  
Zuko nodded and helped Sokka out after he practically fell out. They walked inside to see Iroh preparing tea.  
“Hi uncle.” Zuko smiled.  
“Hello nephew, how are you?”  
“I-I’m alright. I want you to meet my friend.”  
Zuko looked at Sokka and nervously smiled as Iroh turned around.  
“This is-”  
Sokka cut Zuko off, “I’m Sokka! Anyway, we’re going upstairs! Bye!”  
Before Zuko could say anything, Sokka picked him up and ran up to Zuko’s room.  
“Hey! What was that?! I thought you wanted to meet Uncle!”  
“I would love to meet him, but I’m kinda scared of him.”  
Zuko laughed, “Why?”  
“I-I don’t know, he scares me!”  
“You’re such a dumbass! First you think Aang’s the same height as you and looks exactly like you, then you get scared and instead of just discreetly grabbing my hand, you pick me up!”  
Sokka laughed and walked to the bed, “Well? What was I supposed to say? We’re both heterosexuals in a perfectly normal friendship and we’re not in love with each other?”  
Zuko rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t work…”  
Sokka patted the spot next to him, Zuko walked over and sat down, they sat in silence for a few minutes  
Sokka finally broke the silence, “Okay, I wanted to ask you something…”  
“Hm?”  
“Uh... can I kiss you?”  
Zuko smiled, nodding slowly.  
Sokka leaned in and gently pressed their lips together.  
They heard a voice, “Oh, sorry to intrude on you two.”  
Sokka immediately pulled away to see Iroh standing in the doorway while Zuko turned bright red as he tried to hide his face.  
“I just was going to ask you two if you wanted any tea.”  
“Sure! What kind of tea do you have?” Sokka smiled, standing up.  
“I can show you. Afterwards, Zuko, I want to talk to you.” Iroh gently smiled then walked downstairs with Sokka.  
The fear in Zuko’s body almost made him pass out. He grabbed his phone and frantically called Toph.  
“Toph, I don’t know what to do please help me”  
“You still need advice? How many times have I told you?! Make out with him, boom.”  
“No, we kissed, but there’s an additional problem”  
“What?”  
“My uncle knows.”  
“Oh.”  
“Toph, I need advice please, I’m begging you.”  
“Do you want me to send Aang over there? He’ll yell at your uncle.”  
“No.”  
“I’m sorry, Zuko. I don’t think I can do anything. You need to face him yourself. This is your coming out, not mine.”  
“Okay…”  
“Tell me how it goes, okay?”  
“Thanks Toph.”  
Zuko hung up, gently placing his phone down.  
Uncle Iroh was standing in the doorway, “May I come in?”  
Zuko jumped, looking at his uncle.  
Iroh walked in and sat down next to Zuko.  
“U-Uncle, I’m sorry…”  
“What is there to be sorry about? You found yourself. I just came to tell you how proud I am of you.”  
Zuko felt his eyes become watery, then the waterworks started, and he was sobbing. Iroh hugged his nephew tightly.  
“I would never be like your father, Zuko.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> how long has it been since you signed a petition? go sign one now!


	4. three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! tw !!!!: mentioned past child abuse
> 
> i tried to minimize it as much as possible. stay safe! :)

By the time Zuko was done crying, Sokka was standing in the doorway with lukewarm tea. ( _we would now classify this as horror if Iroh was reading this _)  
Iroh wiped Zuko’s tears away and hugged him. Zuko sniffed and rubbed his eyes.  
Sokka walked into the room and set the tea down.  
Iroh looked at Sokka while rubbing his nephew’s back, “Would you two like to be alone now? I’m sorry for intruding on your evening together.”  
Sokka smiled, “Yeah, that’d be great.”  
Iroh nodded and pulled away from Zuko, walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.  
Sokka sat down on the bed.  
Zuko rubbed his bloodshot and teary eyes.  
“You okay?” Sokka asked, comfortingly grabbing Zuko’s hand.  
“Yeah...I was just scared about what he was going to say, but he was super understanding .”  
Sokka nodded, “That’s great.”  
“Yeah, I know...I’m just a little shaken up.”  
“Because of your dad?”  
Zuko took a deep breath to stop his shaking.  
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it. I didn’t mean for it to trigger you, o-or remind you...of…”,Sokka stopped and covered his mouth, “Maybe I should stop…”  
“It’s okay…”  
“No, if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s not okay and I shouldn’t be doing it.”  
Zuko looked at Sokka and smiled, “You’re so nice to me.”  
Sokka smiled and hugged him, “Can we kiss?”  
“Yes.”  
They pressed their lips together and Zuko relaxed.  
Sokka pulled away after a few minutes, “Hey, let’s call my sister!”  
Zuko laughed, “Okay.”  
While Sokka attempted to facetime his sister, Katara, Zuko texted Toph, not forgetting to tell her about what happened with his uncle.  
****  
Katara picked up after fifteen minutes, “Hey Sokka! What’s up?”  
“Hey, you don’t pick up for, like, fifteen-ish minutes and now you _finally _decide to?!”  
“Yeah, I was busy. I have Suki over.”  
“Tell her I said hi.”  
Suki walked over to Katara, immediately gasping, “Is that my bi king Sokka?!”  
“Hey Suki!”  
Zuko looked over at Sokka’s screen.  
“And look! It’s Zuko!” Katara laughed.  
“Hey…”  
“Zu’s just being a little shy today, I don’t really wanna say why bu-”  
Zuko cut Sokka off, “My uncle told me he was proud of me and I started crying.”  
Suki suppressed a laugh, “Really?! Sokka, is your boyfriend an ugly crier?”  
Sokka and Zuko turned red, glancing at each other then looking back at Katara and Suki.  
“No, he’s actually very pretty.”  
Both girls cooed.  
“Are you two official yet?” Katara asked.  
Zuko shook his head, “No, we’re going to wait. Sokka’s nervous to go back into the dating game and I don’t want him to feel like he doesn’t have any choice.”  
Suki smiled, “That’s really sweet.”  
Sokka smiled at his gold-eyed companion, then gasped.  
“What’s wrong?” Zuko asked, concerned.  
“I forgot to give you your tea!” Sokka thrusted his phone into Zuko’s hands.  
Katara and Suki laughed while Sokka quickly grabbed the lukewarm tea, “It’s white lotus tea, Iroh recommended it to me.”  
“Uh...Okay…”  
“Zuko! Say thank you!” One of the girls yelled, most likely Katara.  
“Thanks, Sokka.”  
Sokka nodded with a wide smile and traded with Zuko.  
****  
Suki, Katara, and Sokka were chatting while Zuko got to just relax and sip his tea.  
Toph finally responded to his text, “That’s good to hear :-)”  
“toph it was so scary :(“  
“Better than your shitty father though, right?”  
“yeah way better”  
“Your uncle is my favorite relative of yours”  
“i don't really have good relatives other than uncle though”  
“Don’t talk shit about your sister angry face. I like her.”  
“angry face ????? why are you insulting me ?????”  
“Ugh, my stupid phone won’t translate angry face to the emoticon and aang’s not here to put an angry face there angry face”  
“oh okay”  
“That time I was insulting you :P”  
“why :(”  
“Because you’re stinky”  
“toph why :(((((”  
“Why are you taking it so seriously, Zuko? I’m just joking around, you smell very good actually. You’re just stupid sometimes. Still love you though king”  
“oh no toph no don’t”  
“Or shall I say firelord?? 😼😼😼”  
“noooo :( !!” Zuko looked at Sokka, who was staring at him with wide eyes.  
“Katara just got off the phone, I’ve just been staring at you hoping to get your attention.”  
Zuko nodded and put his phone down, “Am I good looking?”  
“Hmm...Let me look at you some more,” Sokka stared at Zuko for a minute or so then spoke, “Yes, you’re very handsome.”  
The two laughed.  
In that moment, Zuko wished it would never end, so he could always be with the guy he was in love with.____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! go sign a petition right now! >:(
> 
> here's one: http://chng.it/6kS87KQPC8
> 
> and remember to always ask for consent!
> 
> ps: please tell me when i make mistakes 🥺 it's very appreciated


	5. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> his is the nice fluffy end to this short fanfic <3 !

Zuko and Sokka held each other’s hands while they laid soundly on Zuko’s bed, Sokka eventually worked up the courage to kiss Zuko’s hand.

When Zuko noticed Sokka was falling asleep, he got up to get a blanket. Too bad Sokka jumped when Zuko got off his shaky bed.

“Damn, for a rich person, you sure don’t care about your bed. Let’s eat the rich-”

Zuko cut him off, “Why do you always go into this weird anarcho-com way of thinking when you’re tired?! It’s so weird, you never talk about politics until you’re tired.”

“How do you know what I’m like when I’m tired?”

“I could tell whenever you walked over to my table. When you were tired, you made fun of the way I dressed because I looked rich.”

“So like the entirety of sixth grade?”“Yes.”

Sokka smiled, “Well anyway, I was going to say eat the rich out. But your dad never taught you how to take a joke.”

Zuko rolled his eyes while his smile widened.

“Are you trying to hide your smile? Because you just look like Kermit the frog.”

“Shut up. That’s Aang’s joke.”

“Maybe it is.”

“You’re weird, Sokka.”

“You are too, jerkbender.”

“Ugh! I thought I made you forget about that!”

“Waving your mom’s necklace in front of my face and then accidentally slapping me in the face with it didn’t make me forget anything. I think you were trying to avenge your capitalist shit back in sixth grade.”“Noooo, I wasn’t like that when I was a freshman.”

Sokka walked over to Zuko and kissed his cheek.

“I know.”

Zuko smiled at Sokka.

“You know, Mr. Prince Zuko, I’ve been thinking.”

“Really? You never do that!”

“Hey! You sound like Katara! I don’t need two moms!”

Zuko laughed.

“Anyway, before you so rudely interrupted me, I’ve been thinking about dating…”

“Oh?”

“I felt like Yue would cheer me on, she would want me to be happy. I might never get over her, but…” Sokka paused, wiping a few tears that started streaming down his cheeks, “I want a fresh start, I want to get back into the dating game. And I want that with you.” 

Zuko felt his eyes cloud up. It felt like forever ago that someone wanted to date him, even after knowing about his flaws.

Sokka wiped his eyes and hugged him, “As long as it’s okay with you…”

“It is.”

They embraced each other into a warm hug, both of them close to crying. It felt normal, Zuko felt safe in Sokka’s arms. They only pulled away from each other when they heard a knock on the door.

Azula walked in, “Hey Zuko, Ty Lee wants you to paint her nails.”

“Can’t you do it?”

“I get too distracted when I do it. It reminds me of mom.”

Zuko frowned, “Okay, can Sokka come?”

“Of course.”

Zuko grabbed Sokka’s hand and followed Azula to her room. Ty Lee sat on the bed with a neon pink nail polish.

“Your eyes are pretty red, Zuzu. What happened?” Azula asked.

“Eh, you know.”

“How are you, Sokka?”

Sokka looked at Azula and sniffed, “You know, letting go.”

“Of who? Are you breaking up with my brother?!”

Zuko walked over to Ty Lee as Sokka defended himself.

“Hi Zuko” She said with a smile.

“Hey, Azula told me you wanted your nails painted?”

Ty Lee smiled, “Yup!”, giving Zuko the pink polish.

Zuko grabbed Ty Lee’s hand and started painting her nails.

“Your boyfriend’s really cute, I like his aura.” Ty Lee chirped, smiling at Zuko.

“Thanks.”

They waited in silence, listening to Azula and Sokka argue.

Zuko looked over at them, “Can you two shut up?”

“Why didn’t he want to date you earlier?”

“Because of personal reasons, Azula! It’s not that big of a deal!”

“I can tell you guys why I didn’t.” Sokka commented.

“Oh, honey. It’s fine, you don’t have to tell Azula.”

“Well, I’ve been wanting to get it off my chest. Thankfully, my therapist has helped me out through a lot of this.”

“Is your therapist named Wang Fire?” Zuko joked.

Sokka and he laughed as Azula and Ty Lee gave each other a look.

“No, but he should be. He’s the best therapist.”

Zuko continued to paint Ty Lee’s nails while Sokka took a deep breath. Azula sat down next to her girlfriend.

“When I was around fifteen, I met Yue when my sister, Aang, and I traveled up north to find someone to teach her tai chi. This asshole, Pakku, wouldn’t teach her tai chi so she beat him up.”

“Isn’t Pakku your grandfather now?” Zuko asked.

“Yes, but anyway, Yue got diagnosed with cancer and couldn’t do a lot of things because of the chemo, so eventually she got sick of being cooped up in her house and she went out for a drive. No one came with her and so the next thing I remember was an officer coming up to the door later, and saying that she died,” Sokka paused for a second, wiping his tears away that were gathering in his eyes, “I cried for weeks, thankfully Aang and Katara were there or I would’ve done something regrettable.” Sokka slumped onto the floor.

Zuko put the nail polish brush back in its tube and sat next to Sokka, rubbing his back.

“I’m sorry that happened, Sokka.” Azula said.

“It’s okay, I still know she’s still here. Aang told me that my love for Yue can be sprouted in new love.” Sokka said, smiling at Zuko.

Zuko smiled and held Sokka’s hand.

Azula groaned, “Get a room you two!”

Sokka apologized and Zuko took the brush out of the bottle and started painting Ty Lee’s nails again.

They all talked until Sokka and Zuko felt tired enough to go to bed. Azula and Ty Lee kept talking while they slipped out.

“I want to show you something.” Zuko said.

“What?”

“You’ll see.”

They snuck out of the house and Zuko guided Sokka to the Jasmine Dragon.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Zuko walked to the back of the building and over to a pond.

“This is one nice pond.” Sokka whispered.

The boys sat down and took in a deep breath. 

“If you peek at the cattails, you might see some ducks.”

Sokka looked over the cattails and spotted a tiny family of beautiful ducks, “They’re so cute.”

“The smallest one is the only one I have a name for. His name is Turtle.”

“Aww. Is he nice?”

“Very nice. He swims over to me a lot so he can get pets or food.”

Sokka smiled, then laid back on the grass to look at the stars. Zuko did the same.

Slowly, both of them drifted off to sleep, talking about the stars and moon. 

_**fin.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i don't deserve you thank you sm for being patient for this chapter i feel so bad abt taking so long 🥺 a lot of things came up in my life, like considering law school and my memory slipping (sometimes i’ll just forget everything i did immediately after).
> 
> this was technically just a warm up so i could get back into writing, i had a really bad mental breakdown a few months ago while i was on wattpad and i tried to write afterwards but i could never do it. then i got back into ALTA and i wanted to write some zukka but i couldn't think of what i wanted to write so then i had a sleepover with my friend (we quarantined afterwards) and i accidently got high in the hot tub but then boom i was like "i have a fanfic to make once i get home"
> 
> and now i'm here <3 
> 
> feel free to comment or talk to me on tumblr, twitter,or discord !
> 
> tumblr: cryptid-dolokhov  
> twitter: cryptiddolokhov  
> discord: cryptid dolokhov#0144
> 
> thank you all for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed so far! :) tysm for reading!


End file.
